The Tuition Class was started by Venerable Tsang Hui in 1979, to help migrant and refugee high-school children overcome their language and economic disadvantages.

Aims

The aim of the Tuition Class is to assist the students with their educational studies. It is also to encourage self-discipline, and to foster understanding and co-operation amongst students of all nationalities. 

The classes are also to train and cultivate the good moral conduct of the younger generation. It is to help them become responsible citizens, who can make a positive contribution to our Australian society. As well as supporting the good efforts of your full-time school teachers, it is hoped that students will gain more than just facts, in their attendance at the Tuition Classes. 

No matter what school is attended, we hope the students will gain a better appreciation and confidence in their chosen subjects, by having our teachers reinforce various themes and topics. We also hope the habit of coming to the Tuition Classes, encourages the students to develop good time management skills. 

Extra-cirricular activities are also provided, to encourage friendship and teamwork within the classes. 

With the kind support of the Homebush Boys' High School, all classes are conducted within the school's portables. Classes are conducted after normal school hours, and on Sunday afternoons.

Board of Education for 2007

The Board of Education is a subcommittee of the Monastery Executive Committee. The Board of Education is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the Tuition Classes. Its members are;

                      Director: Venerable Tsang Hui
                      Chairman: Mr. Chong Jin Chew
                      Vice Chairman: Mr. Michael Kiddle
                      Tuition Class Co-ordinator & 
                      Disciplinary Master: Venerable Neng Rong
                      Secretary: Mr David Hua
                     Assistant Secretary: Mr. Thomas Su
                     Committee Member Mr. Danny Tchou

Classes and Subjects

The Tuition Classes cater for secondary school students from Year 7 to Year 12. Subjects offered are Biology, Buddhism, Business Studies, Chemistry, Chinese, Economics, English, Maths, Physics, and Science. 

Music is offered as an optional subject for all years.

Refer to the Timetable webpage to see which subjects apply to which years. Currently there are around 200 students, in 34 classes with 32 teachers. Class sizes are around 30 students.

Teachers

The Tuition Class was started as a "community self-help program" within the monastery. For this reason, it operates very differently from commercial tuition classes. Teachers are primarily volunteers, who are university students, and who have above average HSC marks. Most teachers do not have any formal teacher training, (although some are training to be teachers at universities currently.)

Most teachers nowadays, are former students of the classes, and have demonstrated a willingness to assist the younger ones in their education.

The monastery re-imburses teachers for travel, photo-copy, and text book expenses. Monastery members and supporters contribute all funds to operate the classes.

Student Enrolment

Students are admitted to the classes on a first-come, first-served policy, regardless of ethnic background or religion. A few students are admitted on compassionate grounds. 

All high school students are welcome to enroll themselves. But it is very important that the students must be serious in their studies, be attentive in class, show respect to the teachers and value the time that they are in the class. The HTM Tuition Class is well known for its strict rules with attendance and discipline.

Students from Years 7 to Year 11 must choose (a minimum) 3 subjects. Each class is 2 hours per week. Fees are $6.00 per week, regardless of the number of subjects chosen. Students must enroll for a term. A term is 25 weeks (= $150.00). Students must also join the Youth Fellowship, and the membership is $10.00 per year. This membership fee helps subsidise food costs of the Term picnics. Term and Youth Fellowship Membership fees are not refundable, once paid.

There are two terms per year, and the classes have ONLY two weeks break during the Christmas - New Year period. There are no classes on Chinese New Year's Eve, and Chinese New Year's Day. Classes are held on other Public Holidays throughout the year.

Students may only absent themselves from classes, when they have other special (full-time) school activities. Students are not permitted to absent themselves for other reasons. Students are provided with a Tuition Class handbook of all class rules.

Normal student attendance is 100%. Students and their parents are interviewed, if students are late to class, or absent more than twice. Students who have regular extra-cirricular activities, such as school sports, music classes, or band practice, should not apply for the classes.

The Tuition Class timetable changes once each term. Classes need to be rescheduled to suit the university lecture timetable of our (student) teachers.

There are only two enrolment dates in the year;

The first Friday in June, and the first Friday in November; 

4.30pm - 6.15pm on 1st June 2007

         4.30pm - 6.15pm on 2nd November 2007

Parents wanting to enroll their child MUST attend this briefing session. No enrolments are accepted by phone, and no enrolments are accepted on any other days of the year. At the end of the briefing session, parents may submit applications. The students will then be put on a waiting list. Students younger than Year 5, are not accepted for the waiting list. 

When places become available, parents and students are contacted for a subsequent briefing. Please remember this is NOT a commercial tuition class. It is run entirely by volunteers, with the guidance of the monastery venerables.

Class sizes and Waiting List

Student statistics for 2007 - Term 1 are as follows;

Tests and Reports

There are usually three tests per 25 week term. Some teachers may give more tests, other teachers may make on-going assessments. Teachers provide a report each term for all students to the monastery.

There is one Parent-Teacher day in the year, usually in August. The parents MUST attend this briefing. Teachers will give parents an assessment of their child's progress. There are no individual written reports compiled by teachers. If a student appears to be having trouble, a teacher may request to see the parent at any time during the term. Parents are also encouraged to approach the teachers for feedback on their child's progress during the term.

Homework

Completion of homework tasks is compulsory. Homework is set by the teachers to complement their teaching, and to encourage the student's self-learning program.

Youth Fellowship

All students must join the Youth Fellowship. The students then vote or volunteer themselves by classes, to become part of the Youth Fellowship Executive. (This is equivalent to a school's Student Representative Council.) The Youth Fellowship Executive is responsible for organising the YF Annual Presentation Day, the (compulsory) term picnics for students, and the YF Annual Magazine. 

Picnics are usually to a park, or the beach in summer. YF Exco members decide the picnic location, sporting or other activities on the day, the lunch menu, food purchases and the picnic food preparation. Activities are structured to be at minimum cost to parents, normally just the cost of a return train ticket. 

The Youth Fellowship participate in Clean-Up Australia Day activities around Homebush. Youth Fellowship Exco members initiated the Monastery's participation in monthly Botany, Bio-diversity, and Bush Regeneration activities with the Strathfield Council in 2001.

It is the Youth Fellowship members that type, edit, sketch, print, and collate a 100 page Annual Magazine, that records the highlights and work of members in the classes for the year.

Youth Fellowship members have also contributed their sketches to this website.

Education Fund

The Hwa Tsang Monastery Inc. Student Education Fund was formed in 1992. The aim of the Fund is to encourage greater learning in the community. The Fund provides an annual grant of assistance for Buddhist students who have been accepted and enrolled in an Australian Tertiary Institution - either University or Technical College, and who may have some financial difficulty. Grants may be between $500 and $3,500. Applications are judged on a case by case basis. Please direct enquiries to;

              Mr Chong Jin CHEW
              Chairman - Board of Education
              Hwa Tsang Monastery 
              29 Mackenzie Street,
              Homebush NSW 2140

History

Venerable Tsang Hui attended the Normal University in Taiwan, and majored in education and mathematics. In 1977, Venerable Tsang Hui left Taiwan and migrated to Australia. He hoped to improve his English in a Western environment, but more importantly, to use this skill to teach Buddhism to an audience, with little opportunity to know the dharma. 

On arriving to Australia, he was initially appointed abbot of the Prajna Hall, in Dixon Street Sydney. Venerable spent some time studying English. At the same time, he tried his best to help the many war-refugees, that had arrived to Australia from Indo-China, to overcome their spiritual, and financial difficulties. Some of these refugees had come to Australia with little more than the clothes on their back. They knew no English, and had very few skills by Australian standards. But these migrants came to Australia with high hopes of contributing to Australian society. 

They worked very hard to establish themselves. For many without English language skills, their occupations were confined to labouring, or low-skilled factory work. These migrants, working long hours in lower paid jobs, watched their children grow, and saw many of them fail, or do poorly at school. The language barrier and their educational background was a severe disadvantage. They approached Venerable Tsang Hui for help. So he started a tuition class program for the high school students, to assist them in their studies. 

In the beginning, there were only about 6-7 students in the Tuition Class. The venerable taught them in the small house that he rented. It was his living place as well as the classroom. 

Everyday, they came to Venerable's house to study, whether there was rain or shine. Under Venerable's compassionate, strict, and skilful coaching, the students achieved great improvement in their studies, as well as moral development. As a result, more parents sought to send their children to the Venerable for guidance. The number of students in the tuition class increased. More teachers and classes were required. Venerable began to think about building a monastery, so that he could provide the students with a better study environment.

In 1981, Venerable help set up the University of New South Wales Buddhist Society. Some of the Buddhist Society members came to help in the Tuition Class. The subjects taught at this time included Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, and English.

In 1982, Venerable moved to Greenacre, so the Tuition Class moved too. However, due to a lack of public transport in Greenacre, and for the convenience of the students, Venerable rented a hall from the Indo-Chinese Association in China Town, and continued to conduct the Tuition Class in the city.

In 1987, due to an increase in rent, Venerable moved to Homebush, where public transport was far more convenient. The Tuition Class moved too. The classes were held in the garage of the house at Mackenzie Street. However, not long after the classes started in Homebush, the neighbours complained to the local Council. The Tuition Class was asked to stop. It seemed as though it would be the end.

However, an approach was made to Mr Brown, the Homebush Boys' High School principle. He understood the aims of the tuition class, and immediately agreed to lend the monastery two classrooms. This reprieve saved the classes. With the continued kind support of subsequent principals, Mr Green, and Mr Paterson, the Tuition Class continues to this day. This year, 2004, it celebrates its 25th Anniversary. 

On 7th of April 1991, the HTM Board of Education was formed. Its duty has been to assist Venerable Tsang Hui in the administration of the Tuition Class. 

Venerable Tsang Hui taught in the classes for the first 12 years, up until 1991. Subsequently, he has maintained a great interest and enthusiasm for the classes, by guiding the Board of Education members.

The fees for students between 1979 and 2005, were $1.00 per week for (a minimum) 3 subjects. The fees reflected that in earlier years, students arrived mostly by train, and had migrant parents working largely in factories. Similarly the university student-teachers attended free or inexpensive tertiary courses, and donated their time happily to the students without recompense. For 2006, the monastery has decided to raise fees, in order to recoup the significant costs of running the Tuition Classes. 

Updated April 2007